Now that I think of it, the sound was there from the day I bought the little Europa. It remained even after all the work I did in the hind end of the car (because of problems that came with it). I was so focused on the issues at that end of the vehicle that I didn’t think to test the front wheels until I’d already owned the car for a full year.

It turned out to be just a wheel bearing and was solved by cleaning both the inner and outer bearings completely, repacking them, and replacing all the grease with new.

But while I was in the  wheel well I noticed the abysmal state of the paint on the T-section and the shoddy condition of the paint in the lower A-arms. Also, while there I might as well swap the dampers (British word for shocks) for the new ones I installed on the other Europa that isn’t anywhere near ready to drive.

So I drifted out the upper pivot pin. I removed the A-arms. I went and got new grade 8 fasteners for the ball joint.

I removed the bubbling flaking paint from the chassis and treated it with navel jelly to arrest the rust. Now it has its first primer coat.

There was a newer upper trailing A-arm on the car and in this case I prefer the ‘old’ type just for consistency. My restoration of that part for the other Europa was very good. So I swapped them. Now I’ve stripped, wire brushed, de-rusted, and primed the lower arms and hope to have them painted Monday.

The upper pivot pin threads were a little resistant, so I bought a 1/2″ 20 die and reconditioned them.

A Previous Owner made the lamentable decision to paint over surface rust on the chassis which is fine to do if the car never sees rain, fog, mist, puddles, humidity, or road use.

The gray part is the T-section of the chassis which cradles the body and supports the front suspension. Cruddy. The damper is brand new as to use.

The Lower A-arms were not pretty. Someone had painted right over rust. I decided that this vinegar bath would be too slow for me so I treated them with navel jelly, more wire brushing and scraping and sanding.

First coat of primer is curing

While I’m here, I’ll address all those holes and the unpainted fiberglass too.